PhaseDistorted
by SaturnStorm
Summary: Now is not the time to be protective. Four people explore beyond the depths of reality on one man's request, while four dreamers try to find the cause of their nightmares. How twisted can reality become?...
1. Prologue

**P - _H - A_ - S - E -- -- D - _I - S - T - O - R_ - T - E - D**

_Written by SaturnStorm_

**NOTES:** I started the old one too early. I hadn't really given much thought to anything that was going on -- it was an improv story. I remembered, long after pulling it, where it was going to lead, but the plot holes ate at me. Then, at prime thought hour (super-late-night thinking), I had a better idea.

* * *

The World was a chaotic mess. Formations had built, then been torn down, sturdy walls thickened with rocks, then slashed by fierce winds, the sky itself alive with energy, already displaying small samples of its power in the thunderstorm. It was a time of fear, before anything was around to even feel it. This was The Beginning. 

A few moments before, this had paled in comparison to the mass of energy that had built in a cave, threatening to consume whatever crossed its path in its barely coherent rage. But moments before, this energy had been subdued, defeated, and finally is had exploded, then imploded on itself, leaving a sparkle of some vague residue that in the future would become something magical, yet strange.

Outside of the cave, moments after this being was destroyed, lay four metal figures, battered and beaten, the only other residue of the horrifying battle that had taken place. The metal forms could no longer move, the circuitry broken in them all. Not all of them could see anymore, the optic sensors in no better state of repair, and for one, hearing had been fried.

_"This is it, guys."_ one of the forms spoke up -- the one that couldn't hear, _"We did it."_

One wearing some fabric vaguely resembling a cap let out a static chuckle, almost sounding grim, _"I can't feel my legs."_

Another, laying sprawled out, with an arm and a leg hanging by only a few wires, retorted "_I can't-_ **bzzt**_ I can't feel my arms. And I _**Bzap!**_ -I can't even talk. Wish I _**bzz!**_ Wish I _**Bzzt!**_ Wish I could help."_

The final figure, propped up against a smal spire, said its piece, _"We have done all we can, the World is finally safe, thanks to us. Now we can rest... Now we can go home."_ As it started to say 'rest', its voice began to slow down, devolving into a crackling slur, before finally the lights all switched off, and it moved no more. The sprawled looked to the other robots, but didn't speak, already knowing the task to be too much for it. Instead it allowed its body to simply shut down, joining its friend in the silence.

The first form tried to look at the cap-wearer, but it could barely turn its head. _"I..."_ it began, but its energy was already fading away. The figure finished with _"Thanks."_ before shutting down.

Red cap falling from its head, the remaining robot allowed its body to fall limp, as it watched the static that was its vision fade to black, entertaining the thoughts of a bright future thanks to its noble sacrifice.

The chaos began to shatter the nothing, before it seemed to realise what had taken place, and began to bury the mysterious cave area, allowing silence to thrive in the nothingness, around the inactive robots. The four souls inside wouldn't have known about nature's kindness, as they were sharing a dream of the perfect future they'd helped create, resigning themselves to the peace of the beyond...

* * *

**_OOC: _**Its not easy to do something so grim...

Another shame is that won't hold up against anything I use to determine what's going on, so I've had to kinda re-edit everything over and over again. Ah, well, though, as long as people can tell what's going on, I think that should be okay.


	2. Chapter 1: Expeditions

**P**_** - H - A - **_**S - E -- D - I - S **_**- T - O - R - **_**T - E - D**

_By SaturnStorm_

**NOTES:** Okay, peeps! I've gone on one of those edit/condensers! So Chapter 1 and 2 are a lil' bit longer, and Chapter 3's gone, and so what would have turned into chapter 4 will now become Chapter 3. Whoopee! So yeah. Aside from some grammar/spelling checks, not much's changed. Just half of Chapter 2's in Chapter 1 now. :p

**

* * *

**

The whir of the blades bit through your thoughts before you could really form them. It didn't matter that the view was good, or that the sudden high altitudes would probably make your head a little light which automatically made things fun, the blades would always ruin the moment with their constant turning, keeping them airborne. That was the trouble with helicopters.

A silver haired man made a vague note of this as he looked down at the clouds from where he was strapped in. His head was propped on his arm, which in turn was propped on the other arm, which was leaning against his chest. He was utterly bored. Since the rest of the team didn't need him right now, he wasn't being preoccupied with orders and requests and what to do when the ship landed. All he had to do was babysit this youth-some group here and make sure none of them fell out the helicopter. Actually that wasn't fair on them. I mean sure they were _kids_, but heck, they were out of diapers, so that was a plus.

There were three kids aboard the helicopter with him. One was in his late teens, and the son of a friend. A good friend. He was probably about 17, now, making him the oldest of the three. The silver-haired one had less of a problem with this kid, too, since he actually knew him for a while beforehand anyway, spending his dwindling childhood helping look after this kid.

The second child was nobody he really knew. He'd apparently gone to SnowWood and several requests and referrals were made in his favour to come along today. A blonde kid, said on the files to be about 14. A name had floated about, too, but he'd never really had a chance to pick up on it.

Finally, the other boy he really shouldn't have been complaining about: his 12 year old son. Product of a pleasant mistake, and tagging along because the babysitter cancelled and his mother wouldn't have him. Apparently it didn't matter that dark and dangerous uncharted bogs were not places for kids to run around in. That just meant he'd have to keep a close eye.

The moment the thought of the bog entered his mind, it also entered his line of vision. Raising his head he looked over at the source of such mystery: Deep Darkness.

Apparently the kids had seen it too. The three looked up from their given activities and curiously looked over at the murky landscape, trees all curving in, like a dark dome over the disgusting swamp. The youngest seemed more intrigued than the other two, who gave it but a few respectful moments, before returning to their usual activities. The man gave it quite a look, too, not for the spectre that was the landscape itself (This wasn't his first visit), but for the mysteries this place was hiding within the darkness -- the darkness that could not be entered, not without crashing, and usually never being seen again. It was too dark to enter. The rock formations curving around the marshland meant you couldn't cut around it, either. Whatever secrets it concealed were not going to be discovered anytime soon.

The man looked at his son, and noticed a gleam in his eye, remarkably similar to one of his own. He couldn't help but wonder, if just briefly, before the blades sliced the thought apart, what the boy was thinking.

**

* * *

**

Deep Darkness was sticky and hot. A young teen sat on a small rise jutting out from the swamplands as he made this observation. A backpack filled with goodness knows what was sat next to him, and he had a stick in hand, which he was using to stir the goo in front of him.

A blonde teen wandered up the small incline and stood next to the white-haired male, and watched for a few moments. "It's not going to go away, even doing that."

The smaller one shot him a glance before returning to his stirring, "I'm not trying to get rid of it," he grumbled, "I'm just making a small show of my disgust of this stuff. It smells rancid, and it can't be good for you."

"I dunno," the blonde shrugged, "some people use the nastiest smelling stuff on their face, to 'open pores' or some such garbage." he sat down and offered out a hand. "I'm Aaron. You?"

The white-haired boy shuffled away a bit before taking the proffered hand, "Call me Ao." Ao pushed the stick away and watched with vague horror as the stick remained upright, "So what did you do to get stuck round here?"

Aaron expressed a detached interest at the vertical stick, "Oh I'm not here against my will. This is a learning experience for me, on behalf of my mother." Quickly bored again he reached a foot out and pushed the stick a little, noting it start floating off, "Why? Weren't you asked along on this?"

Ao leaned forward and shook his head, "Nah, I'm here because dad couldn't drop me off anywhere else. Not that its not nice to see him once in a while, but the one time he doesn't dump me on a babysitter, he's dragging me to a cesspool. Its not ideal."

Raising an eyebrow Aaron asked "Why didn't he dump you on a babysitter?"

Pointing back to the large group of adults setting up complex equipment and scanning devices, Ao said "You see the guy who's trying out that labcoat? The one with the muscles?"

Aaron looked back at the black-haired guy, neat oval glasses perched on his nose, as he checked out how the labcoat looked, and answered, "Yeah."

"That's my babysitter."

"Seriously?" Aaron looked surprised, "He doesn't look much older than us! Wait, isn't that Jack?"

Nodding, the white-haired boy replied "Yup, that's him. He's pretty tough, but real smart, too. He's in a bunch of advanced classes and stuff, and he's some sort of honour student or something. I dunno. He got himself here today because his dad knows my dad, who's running a lot of this show." then he leaned back and continued "And apparently, all this is because of grandpa's last request or something."

The taller of the two silently agreed, and noted "Last requests are often good to honour. I'm just not sure what kind of decent last honour involves getting lost in uncharted bogs called 'Deep Darkness'."

This made Ao laugh. "Good point! Not many, I'd guess!"

**

* * *

**

Jack could not believe how well the lab-coat suited him. Usually he just went for an intellectual look, but man, this coat spoke volumes like no other outfit could! He wondered if maybe he could convince someone to let him sneak off with this? It fit so snug...

"Labcoats are for staff, not for the voluntaries!" a voice spoke behind him, swiftly pulling away the coat and sliding into it himself. Jack pouted as the silver-haired man poked his own glasses up his nose and made a casual pose.

"Aw, man," Jack whined, folding his arms and leaning against one of the machines, "You never let me have any fun anymore. What happened to the easy-going Lloyd I remember?"

Turning his face down to look above his glasses, Lloyd responded "He grew up. I'm a working man, now, Jack, and I can't run around like a little kid." he picked a notebook out of a passing worker's hands and skimmed over it coolly, "That's what Elliot's around for, now."

The muscle-bound one rolled his eyes, muttering "You were more fun as a kid."

Sighing, Lloyd repeated "That's what Elliot's here for, now. Sorry, Ao. That's what Ao's for now."

Levelling a glare at the older male, Jack stated "That's not what I meant." and walked off. Lloyd watched after him, then shook his head and returned to work.

* * *

It was much later that Jack got to speak to Aaron. It turned out Aaron was born in EagleLand, but sent to SnowWood because of some family issues. He'd been asked along on this because of his mother, who had some requests for him to carry out, which he didn't care to go into. Jack himself shared that he was born and raised in Ellay, by two loving parents who owned a cafe, and his father's long time friend, Lloyd. Apparently Lloyd had some issues with his father, so he stuck around with his friend in Ellay, and Ao wasn't long after. A lot of both kids' educations came from the all-knowing Lloyd, but that only lasted until his job started taking him places. What was left over was two real smart kids, only one was a bit more secretive about it.

"So do you know what he knows?" Aaron questioned, over a hot coffee.

Shaking his head, Jack answered "Nah, he doesn't like to talk about it. It's weird, though. He knows a lot of stuff, but gets moderate marks on tests and stuff. He's probably worried about bullying or something."

Looking out at where the boy had discovered the monkey natives, Aaron mumbled "Could be." before swigging his coffee. He stopped, and began coughing in surprise, as the hot liquid began burning the way down. Jack came over and rubbed at his back, taking the coffee away.

Immediately Aaron reacted, snatching the coffee back and hissing "Gimme that, still need coffee, dammit." and this time took a much less painful mouthful.

Looking at the kid in mild surprise, Jack gawked "You just gulped scalding coffee! How can you not be hurting?"

Slowly straightening himself back out, Aaron replied "I get over things quick."

**

* * *

**

It was amazing how quick the darkness started. Lloyd looked at where the light met dark, in an almost straight line. This was not natural. Curiously he stuck an arm into the darkness, and watched in awe as the whole thing seemed to be swallowed up by the lack of light. He then pulled it back out, and squinted upwards into it, trying to figure out just what made it so dark.

Three of the team were behind him, making notes and jotting down observations and other things. Two men and a woman, all a little older than him, all assigned by a Dr.Andonuts, who'd decided to send out some people to help.

"The readings haven't changed since we were here last, doctor." The woman pointed out. She looked at the papers barely clinging to her clipboard, "We haven't even got any new notes that we didn't have on the report already. Sunlight is absorbed, unseen trees block the inside, the light stops in a line--"

"But _why_?" Lloyd turned suddenly, ignoring the fact his flourish was spoiled because the labcoat was stuck in the swamp-water, "_Why_ does the light stop in a line? I don't see a line up there, do you?" he pointed to where the trees began to gather, "Why are the trees blocking the inside when people say they've been through here before, through a path opened by a seeing device?"

A weary looking man piped up "The Hawkeye? Myeah, but nobody's seen that for a few years. It was supposed to be in the Scaraba pyramid complex, but someone beat us to it."

Waving that off Lloyd continued "And what did this Hawkeye do exactly? Surely it was too small to carry such mechanics needed to operate Deep Darkness, for the time it was invented?"

The stout male grouched crossly "What are you saying, doctor? That this was the work of voodoo magic? Did magic create this thing? Was it magic? Huh?"

Trying to keep his cool, Lloyd responded, "No, no I do _not_ think this was the work of 'voodoo magic'. I have high doubts this was down to alien technology. But _something_ blocked up Deep Darkness. Find out what, we find the answer."

"It was Tendas."

The four adults looked down to see Ao stood there, waist-deep in the swamp, looking up at the entrance to the Deep Darkness. Upon his shoulder sat a monkey, which was chattering away quietly, sometimes looking at Ao.

The stout scientist gruffed out "Tendas. Tendas did this. Okay. What's a Tenda?"

"What are you doing out here, Elliot?" Lloyd asked, a little surprised by his son's unnoticed presence, and amazingly silent entrance.

Giving his father a quick look he corrected "Ao." then continued, "I remember a few teachers telling me about the fable of the Tenda. They were supposed to live all across the World, but were pushed back by..." he put a finger to his mouth and thought, "What was it? Oh yeah, I think people said it was misshapen sorcerers. They built pyramids so people would be prepared in future, and escaped to the swamps in defeat, and renamed it 'Deep Darkness'. Nobody knows what happened to the sorcerers, but much like that story there are plenty of kooky theories."

The weary looking man glanced at Lloyd meaningfully. The silver-haired scientist caught this and kneeled next to his son, "Elli-- sorry, Ao, it's probably best to get back to camp for now. I don't want you getting sucked under this gunk."

Ao stood his ground, "I wasn't finished."

Wincing a little, Lloyd pointed out, "I know, but they ain't gonna listen." he indicated the three scientists behind them, and stood up again. The weary one stepped forward, and led the small teen away back to camp. Knowing his mediator had just gone, and that this was going to go nowhere, Lloyd felt obligated to ask, "Now, where were we?"

The moment the two scientists opened their mouths, he knew he would much rather be at the camp, talking to his son about what he and the monkey's two cents were.

**

* * *

**

It was approaching late afternoon, and the two older teens were sat around in a tent made-up especially for them. A nice round table sat to one edge, which they both sat at, Aaron reading a rather lengthy looking novel, and Jack checking out some articles of locations, given by a few well-known scientists.

"You know," Jack spoke at length, placing the articles down on the table, "When I said I wanted in on this thing, I didn't think they'd stick me back on babysitting."

Not looking up Aaron murmured "I'm sure that's nothing against you, they just haven't gotten to the nitty-gritty stuff yet."

Removing his glasses, Jack began rubbing at the bridge of his nose, "Yeah, you watch. The moment something good comes up, we're gonna be tagging along in the background, like preschool kids, or we're gonna be stuck here at base camp. You'll see, they're gonna make us stay."

Aaron didn't respond to that directly. He stood up, nudging his bookmark into place, and declared "I need a coffee. I'll go find some mugs." Just as he was leaving the tent, Ao was led in, and the scientist that had walked with him made a fast exit. Aaron stopped to consider him a moment, then added "I'll make that three mugs." and ducked out.

Jack replaced his glasses to get a good look at the muddy kid shuffling into the tent to sit at the table. "Don't even think about it." he warned, and watched the boy's path change so he was sat on the floor. "So where have you been? You and your monkey friend disappeared suddenly. You didn't go bother your pops, did you?"

Sifting through his backpack for something, Ao returned over his shoulder "What's it to you?"

"I'm just looking out for your well-being." he began shuffling the papers and grumbled under his breath "Since apparently I'm the babysitter again."

Before Ao could make a remark about that, Aaron came back, three mugs in hand, and a jar of instant coffee in the other. "Get that pot going, I intend to be awake for every development."

Jack nodded and turned on the stove, heating up the filled kettle-pot, and leaned against the portable food-counter, "Is that why you're on a coffee binge? Look, man, you might want to know now, they don't always find stuff around here, so killing yourself with a caffeine addiction won't benefit you."

Settling himself back at the table Aaron shrugged "Oh I was addicted long before this, what with long study-sessions at SnowWood." He turned on his chair to see Ao, who was tinkering around with something, his back turned to the others. "So what happened to your monkey friend? Did he have a curfew?"

As if in answer to that question, a monkey swung in through the door, across the tent, and perched himself on Aaron's shoulder, looking down at his open book. Jack and Ao both looked at him, but apparently he hadn't outwardly reacted. He didn't even look tense.

Waving a hand in the monkey's direction, Ao announced "That's Dirk. He's supposed to work at the monkey hotel, but he's got some spare shifts."

Jack gave the white-haired kid a level stare."Do you expect me to believe the monkey talks? Monkeys don't talk."

The monkey, Dirk, chattered something into Aaron's ear quietly. Now he tensed up, a few seconds of silence passed, and then he started, causing the monkey to jump up out of reach. Aaron narrowed his eyes at the primate, his hands still clenching a little. "Damn monkey. Where the hell did you learn that down here?"

Looking more than a little startled, Jack demanded "What's going on? What did the monkey do?" he paused, and checked Aaron's back, but it was clear of doodoo. What did it do!

Not looking away from the poor chimp Aaron told the elder male "He spoiled the ending of my book. Dammit. I was reading that to keep in habit."

Ao craned his neck up till he could see the monkey, and scolded lightly "Now that wasn't very nice, Dirk. You should apologise."

"_Monkeys don't talk!_" Jack snapped, and looked at the other occupants of the room. Ao looked shocked, the monkey seemed hurt, and Aaron was glancing sidelong at him with a raised eyebrow. Deciding he couldn't take this right now, the bespectacled one shook his head and stormed out. "I'm going to find some sanity..."

Once he was gone, the monkey jumped into his seat, and began flipping through the articles. Aaron sat back down, leaving the book as it was, and waiting for the kettle to boil. He turned again to Ao and asked carefully "What exactly are you doing, anyway?"

Looking over his shoulder with a knowing smirk, Ao replied "You'll see."

**

* * *

**

Charms and quirks that made this place so appealing to him before had now become annoying. The putrid stench of the marsh, the lack of a primary colour not stained in brown, the overgrowth of weeds passing themselves off as trees... Five years ago it had been fascinating; another wondrous glory on his global expedition. He'd brought back a weed to his son, who instead of sharing in his father's joy, was afraid of it. Now this place was becoming more like a second-home -- a depressing thought in itself -- the charm had worn off and now it just looked like some land, dragged through soiled underwear, leaving much evidence of a disgusting deed.

Just to think: All this because of his old man's final request. A request to discover what lies beyond the Deep Darkness. A request first presented to him many years before it became 'final'.

_"But why?" Lloyd asked, perplexed at the question._

_The old man, Lloyd's father, sighed and picked up a picture frame. "There was something down there, something I wanted to find before I passed on. Something amazing, that became lost to the World before its time. It has to be brought back."_

_A tinge of resentment welled up in Lloyd. That fondness, that warm heart, that adoration, that his father had just shown, had never been turned at him. He tried subtly to look at the picture in the frame, but couldn't. So he turned away coldly. "I don't see why you want me to find it. It means more to you obviously than it ever could to me. So why should I bother?"_

_A pleading look entered the old man's eyes as he looked at his son, "please, I'm too old for this now. But it is important! Can you do it? Please?"_

_The silver-haired one hated that look. It was the sort of look that appealed to his good heart, no matter how much he resisted. "Fine, if it really means that much. I suppose it can't hurt."_

"I should've just ignored him." Lloyd grumbled, rubbing his forehead.

Deciding not to be the man his father was, Lloyd abandoned his paperwork and made his way to the kids' tent, to apologise to his son. He hadn't wanted to leave him out as much as he had ended up doing, and felt bad he couldn't have left his son with someone somewhere dry and preferably sunny.

He stopped. He'd opened their tent already, but stopped. Something was wrong, but he told himself it couldn't be that bad. He inclined his head a little and called out "Has anyone seen where the boys went?"

A few scientists stopped, uttering negatives. One even commented "I thought they were in the tent." The murmur brought out a few more faces, and a woman scientist with an obnoxiously loud voice declared "They came by to borrow some mugs! Can't have been all that long ago!"

Turning his attention back to the tent Lloyd asked her "You mean these mugs?"

A small crowd gathered outside the tent, curiously peeking in. Dinner plates were piled up near the entrance, a book lay open on the table, and three cold mugs were set up, mostly empty, two on the table, one on the floor.

"So, nobody's with them showing off some small discovery?" Lloyd tried to confirm. The same murmurs met him. He frowned and looked at the items again.

He knew which mug had been Jack's since he always kept his mug right in the centre of the table. The one next to it had a little more in than the others, and was stuck in the middle of a small coffee puddle. He'd heard Aaron didn't have table-manners from a few people already. The one on the floor had clearly been emptied into nearby soil, probably because it had gone cold, if the rings at the top of the cup were any indication -- he was guilty of this act himself oftentimes, and had learned his son had developed it, too. He also noted some bulky tools were left out a meter or so from the cup. Between the two distances were wire clippings, screws, broken pins and other technological mess. Back on the table, a bookmark was laying underneath the open book, and a chair -- probably Jack's -- was askew from the table.

"They're off wandering on their own." Lloyd surmised, turning away, "One, maybe two of them have planned this escape, and Jack, likely, is following." he pointed at the book, "He never leaves the book without finishing a chapter unless there's an emergency."

One doctor scoffed "How do you know they've planned this?"

Lloyd countered calmly "Was it not you all who confirmed nobody saw them go? Their escape route would have to have been meticulous to navigate even the most attentive of our staff." His expression darkened, "They're up to something. We have to find them. Fast."

**

* * *

**

It wasn't enough that the swamp was so sticky; it had to _stink_ as well. A nasty odour of something rotting slowly, mixed with that smell made by damp weather. The further you got into the swamp, the more repugnant the smell became.

Aaron and Jack were experiencing this revolting experience for the first time, following the young Elliot, calling himself 'Ao', as he led them toward the pitch black that truly was 'Deep Darkness'. The two older males had expected Ao's monkey friend to tag along, but instead it had chattered something about a desert cousin, then run off, really, _really_ fast.

It didn't take that long to reach the entrance to the deep marsh areas, granting them the view of the dark and spooky jungle 'gates' that led to places so mysterious, the people who had seen it had never been seen again. Jack stopped and stared for a few moments, awestricken by the grandeur. Aaron didn't bother to look too hard, he wasn't all that interested. Ao wasn't looking either, instead routing through his backpack for something.

"So what exactly did you come down here for?" The blonde asked, folding his arms and giving the kid a level stare.

Ao found what he was looking for, and immediately clipped a strange device around his ear. From there a monocle lens snapped into place in front of one eye. He then proceeded to rummage through his possessions again for goodness knew what else.

Looking at the odd device Jack wondered aloud "What's the deal with that thing? Going for a new fashion statement or something?"

"Have you guys heard of the Hawk Eye?" Ao questioned, not stopping to receive an answer, pulling out a small screwdriver from the bag, and proceeding to play with the device's screws, "it was said to open up the gate to this bog, simply if someone looks through it."

Jack nodded, "Yeah, I remember that. But the Hawk Eye was lost a few years back, during that last whole alien thing. One of those kids should have it."

Nodding, Ao continued "The kids who went missing after the whole ordeal, yes." He stopped to take off the lens and replace it with a new one. "Basically it was showing you what you can't normally see with the naked eye. Some people assumed it used PSI, but a few of the missing kids had PSI already and couldn't crack it, so that throws out that theory."

Pulling his hand in and out of the darkness, Aaron suggested "Maybe it was a combination of PSI and something else. Like PSI activated whatever made it work."

Giving a knowing smirk, Ao stated "That's what I was thinking. The light has to be activated to work. For the Hawk Eye, it was PSI." he tightened another screw, and blinked.

It was amazing to see what happened next. From the lens came a small spark that surprised the young boy, and a sharp beam of light that cut straight into the darkness. The taller teens both backed away from the entrance and looked on in amazement as the small dot of light began to spread, growing bigger and bigger, at first showing nothing but a deep murky green, then eventually shapes formed. Trees began to separate themselves from the murk, spreading upward until they grew dark again, bushes swayed from murky green to a healthier hue. Soon the darkness was beyond the swamp, instead settling like a blanket atop the trees. Deep Darkness was open.

Swinging his backpack onto his shoulders, Ao finished "And for this thing, its science." and waded forward, deeper into the marshland.

Jack couldn't believe what he'd seen. He gawked at the no-longer-dark Deep Darkness, then snapped his attention to Ao, and made chase to follow up, demanding "How the heck did you do that?!"

Aaron was surprised, but also a little elated. "I didn't think that was possible." he mused, then followed the others into the murky environment.

Once the entrance was left behind, the darkness began to seep back into place, the blanket falling over the trees, the bushes, and then dropping to the water, concealing its secrets once more, and covering up the path of the three boys, trailing through its dank insides...

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Author's notes: **So yeah. Some of chapter 2's made it in here. Isn't that neat.

I prefer things to have less chapters, so things get done better.


	3. Chapter 2: The Deep Swamps

**P - _H - A -_ S - E -- -- D - I - _S - T - O_ - R - T - _E_ - D**

_SaturnStorm_

**NOTES:** Yyyup! Chapter 2, with what was Chapter 3 thrown in for good measure! The fun of the swamp that is Deep Darkness.

... Just be glad I'm trying to write again.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

A boy had a dream. It was a rather terrible dream, especially considering the peace he had been gifted with from a perilous journey. In this dream, he couldn't move, and he felt terribly alone. His vision, while dark, looked like he was trying to see it through a fuzzy computer screen, all blotchy and static. He was immediately greeted with a terrible silence, broken only by a roaring wind, or a falling pebble. But then, voices seemed to be trying to call out to him, as though from inside him. One sounded loud and obnoxious, and sadly familiar. But the pain in that voice made the boy feel surprised, as the voice screamed and demanded the dreamer came back, that this wasn't how it was supposed to go. Then he could hear voices he'd never heard before, though he felt he really should know them. One, he was sure was his mother, the other he couldn't identify straight off, until its voice, fading as he left sub consciousness, said one phrase,

"We miss you, big bro..."

He woke up quite surprised and told his family, who assured him it must have just been a dream, because they were right there, and he wasn't leaving them. He called a friend in a far-off town, who told him she had received a vision, filled with mysterious things that could not possibly have been true, because everything was okay.

The two assured themselves that their World was fine, and that they didn't need to worry. They were sure within themselves that the threat that had loomed was now gone, and they could enjoy peace, even if their dreams betrayed them.

**

* * *

**

The search party had been useless. They'd checked the camp, and as far into the forest as they could get, and some had even gone down as low as the start of Deep Darkness, but the children could not be located. They'd been missing for about seven hours now. It was too dark to see clearly, and a further search would be useless. Reluctantly, Lloyd had chosen to call off the search till morning.

But _he_ wasn't finished yet.

He'd been keeping an eye out for not just the children, but also wildlife in the area. For the most part, all he'd really come across were monkeys, and a few tame alligators would often venture from the darkness, but never for long. If anyone had ever cottoned onto him talking to animals, he'd probably be put away for good. So now, under cover of darkness, he walked out to where he had seen a nice gathering of monkeys last, near the forest.

A rather old looking monkey perched itself on a tree and looked down at him. "Oookiki?" It questioned carefully.

Cautious of anyone who could hear him, Lloyd spoke "Uh, no thanks, I'm set up for board, thanks." He looked around, standing with his back to the forest, "Say, you monkeys are all local, right?"

The monkey shook its head, "Kikikiooook." it responded.

"Ah, of course. Teleporting monkeys. How could I forget teleport." Inwardly the man winced, _Psychic monkeys. Who'd have guessed. _Shaking off the thought, Lloyd continued "But regardless, you're all pretty observant, right?"

At first there was no response, as the monkey stared at him. Then, at length, it chattered "Ooook. Ooookiki."

Turning to stare straight at the monkey Lloyd protested "Hey, I'm not embarrassed to be around you! I'm just concerned for their regard of my sanity, and how fast they'd likely ship me to a nuthouse and failing a considerate time frame what they'd do to me in the meantime to keep me from 'hurting' people, as I'm sure they'd think me capable!" Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he decided to change the topic, "That isn't the point. Look, have you seen some kids pass through here? Three of them, human, one of them rather tall and bulky?"

Dropping to a more acceptable height, the monkey leaned near him and chattered in affirmation. "Kiikiikii. Ooohkikiook Kikiki."

"Ah, right. So Dirk is?..."

"Ook."

Nodding, Lloyd mused "Right, your brother. Well, did you see which way they went?"

Pointing at itself proudly, the monkey declared "Kii! Oook!"

Looking relieved, Lloyd smiled, "Oh that would be great. Okay Kurt, lead the way."

**

* * *

**

The journey through the disgusting bogs had been treacherous. The boys had been told previously by overly fascinated scientists, that since first reports over a decade ago, the bog had clearly become much shallower, and true could probably be said for inside the unknown. This didn't mean, however, that those deepest parts were gone entirely, but since they'd decided very strongly to avoid what they could. To their fortune, however, they did notice that the native not-very-nice looking creatures had decided to leave them well alone.

Even though they had been wading through the marsh for hours, their travels really hadn't taken them too far, thanks to the density of the bog. They had also found themselves, to their annoyance, doubling back at a dead end, where a perch with no bird stood.

Finally, after much grumbling and aimless trudging, they found something of interest. Sunk beneath pools of gunk, an old helicopter stuck out, broken and worn by time. The propellers were tattered, and there were scorch marks up it.

"Looks like the well-known kid legends weren't the only ones who came through here." Aaron mused, brushing a hand against the side. "But why would someone even try to land in the swamp?"

Ao, who was circling the destroyed vehicle with difficulty, answered simply "They didn't." at the confused expressions of the others he pointed at what was left of the nose, "First off, this thing's dented to barely recognisable, most likely caused by a crash, or maybe an elephant."

Jack tugged at the propellers, "Elephants aren't native to Deep Darkness."

The youngest boy nodded, "Exactly. So it must have crashed. Second, see those old scorch marks there?" he pointed at the nearby trees, where scorch marks were still present, somewhere up above the 'copter, "The gas-tank must have blown on impact. This thing crashed on solid ground, right here." he waved a hand at the swamp, "But it seems the water level must have risen above the dry land. Or, the dry land sunk."

Peering inside, trying not to catch the eye of a snake that had coiled around some of the controls, Jack murmured, "I'm more worried about if we can get this thing working."

Aaron opened up a compartment in front. "Ah, I don't think so."

The other two looked at him. Ao was clambering up toward the propellers, "What? Is something jammed in the engine?"

"I wouldn't know." the blonde replied, pushing a hand through his hair, "The engine's gone. I think someone took it."

Jack pulled away from the cockpit and scowled, "What do you mean it's gone? Why in heck would someone take an engine?!"

Fiddling around with the screws holding the propellers in place, Ao responded "Maybe to power something better."

Aaron nodded, "That would make sense," he mused, "Maybe those kids found a better mode of transport and took the engine for that?"

There was a sharp 'Clang!' noise, and the propellers fell from their perch, digging into the swamp either side of the yellow machine. Ao remained where he was and began pulling at the contraption that had held them in place.

"Leave it alone!" Jack snapped, carefully pulling at one of the propellers. "I doubt any of this is in any state to be useful!"

Ao looked up, annoyed, "Spare parts are always useful! You never know when you could need something!"

Aaron closed the compartment again and circled round to the back propellers, "I highly doubt we would ever need anything so big," he told the boy, "Even for just 'spare parts'. If you want to make something and need the right parts, you should be worrying about this set – it's much smaller." He pulled at the propellers, until finally they sprung loose. "As it is these would make fine blades. We could come across some bad bushes, and we wouldn't want to get all caught up." he handed the propellers to Jack, who turned to the metal helicopter and began hitting them against it, reshaping them both into something useful.

Ao slipped off again into the marsh, struggling with the motor he had freed. Aaron skulked across to him quickly and pulled it away, "And being this is so heavy, there's a strong chance you'd sink under its weight." He let it drop, and they both watched it sink like a stone, and felt it thump against what was apparently solid land underneath. Ao looked down.

Jack finally stopped hitting the metal against the 'copter, and looked at his work. The other boys looked at it too.

"Congratulations," Aaron mused, "It looks like scrap metal."

Jack sneered at him, "At least I _have_ a weapon."

The blonde didn't say anything to this, which Jack took to mean he'd won the verbal battle, and decided to find a decent way to hang his new blades that wouldn't cut him open.

Looking out through his monocle across the bog, Ao frowned, "How far do you reckon this thing goes?"

With a shrug Jack responded "Could go on for miles for all we know. Or it could be real short. Maybe it's just this maze; I mean we've already come across one dead-end."

"Well we're not going to find out sticking by this thing." Aaron reminded them, and began wading off deeper into the swamp.

Ao and Jack stopped to look at each other for a moment, before following the young teen. After all, it wouldn't do to lose a teammate in a place like this.

**

* * *

**

It was creepy, looking through the darkness of night at the void known as Deep Darkness. It was so dark it didn't look like it would register in your head. Or maybe that was just Lloyd's mind blocking it out, as he stood in front of it once again, courtesy of a swamp monkey. Maybe he just wasn't seeing it because he didn't want to link that to the disappearance of the kids, like it was just impossible to put the two together.

Despite his jumbled thoughts, he was still stood in front of Deep Darkness.

"Oohk." The monkey who led him here, Kurt, mentioned coolly.

Blinking from his reverie and looking down at the primate, Lloyd snapped "No, I haven't been stood here for ten minutes, I've been stood here for," he checked his watch. "Twelve min-- okay, so I've been here a while. Do you mean to tell me three kids, one barely nearing his twenties, crossed into Deep Darkness?"

Kurt smirked, "Kikikiki. Ook Kii." he pointed out.

Mildly impressed Lloyd commented "Only Fourteen? Really? I'd never have guessed. Well then how did those four get in?"

Not finding the word in his language, Kurt just pointed to his eye.

At first this confused Lloyd, but a second or two passed, and he realised what the monkey referred to, "Ah, the Hawk Eye. I did wonder who got at it. That must have been a while ago, now. Where are they, then? Do they still have it?"

The poor little monkey made a face, then chattered extensively for a short while, declaring to Lloyd the unknown fate of the last four people to cross through Deep Darkness (however many multiple times they did), back long ago, when even this silver-haired man was but a teen, no older than Aaron. The only thing confirmed, was that they should still have had the Hawkeye. Lloyd listened with fascination, barely even thinking off topic to the fact he was talking to a monkey. Learning how the four people had disappeared back then determining the fate of the World, made Lloyd more appreciative of his existence, thinking back to how things could have been. He wondered for a moment how the four must have disappeared, before another, chilling thought crossed his mind: Maybe what made the four teenagers disappear was somewhere in Deep Darkness, _where the three kids had just gone!_

"I need to get in there." he blurted, his face paling. "How did they get in there?"

The monkey pointed at the Darkness and explained "Ook. Kikikikiii Ooki."

Letting the statement sink in, the man asked "Which kid did that?"

Kurt shrugged nonchalantly, "Ook." he replied, not really knowing exactly which kid was which.

Nodding, Lloyd mumbled "So the small one. Elliot." Then he smirked, and pulled out some little gadgets from his labcoat pocket, speaking loudly "Well, I can't have my little boy upstaging me now, can I? If he can break into Deep Darkness, then so can I."

**

* * *

**

The boy and his female friend, who had shared their terrifying vision, discovered that they were not alone. After having dismissed the nightmares as stress, they related their stories to friends and family from all over. But when two close friends of theirs recalled fearfully their own nasty dreams, of a similar nature, they all realised it was not something they could ignore anymore.

So then what could these dreams be?

They all communicated with and among each other, suggesting and ruling out different suggestions, ranging from really silly, to deathly serious. But nothing they could come up with led them to the answer they were looking for.

Finally, the boy suggested something that the others agreed with. Granted, it was not an answer, but it was a good idea that would open up many things they would never have thought of, and rule out many others, hopefully leaving them with their answer.

So the next week, they decided to meet up, arranging details and smoothing out the finer points of this new plan, and began their search. They intended to find out everywhere the four had been together, on their perilous journey.

**

* * *

**

The three teenagers were sure that they had now reached the center of Deep Darkness. They had reached a wide crossroads littered with tall, murky trees that twisted and writhed toward the sky, and the ground beyond was thick with the murky thick liquid that they were hardly sure anymore that it wasn't bottomless.

"Well," Ao, the youngest, peered to the tree worriedly, "I guess we can't avoid the deep parts anymore."

The blonde boy, Aaron, grabbed hold of a nearby tree/weed looming over them, and tried entering the deep water, trying to gauge how far it was to the bottom. He pulled back when the water reached his armpits. "That's far too deep," he told them, "I still couldn't reach the bottom."

Putting his hands on his hips, Jack, the eldest male, chided "I draw the line at drowning to death. Time to go back."

Smoothly countering Aaron spoke "Its too dark to go back now, we have to carry on. Else camp in the trees for the night."

Still not satisfied the muscle-bound one snapped "We don't know what's ahead anymore! We could drown to death in there and we could run into something monstrous, like the stuff the last kids who came through here fought! We could probably even get killed by natives on the other side of this thing!"

"What makes you think there's natives on the other side?" Aaron queried calmly.

Ao looked over at the two of them and pointed out "The sun must have gone down by now. What makes you think whatever is in that half of the marsh hasn't woken up in _this_ half?"

Much as Jack hated to admit it, he didn't have an answer to that.

Looking back into the recesses of the deep swamp Ao mused brightly, "Let's see just how deep this really is!" and stepped forward.

To the other boys' horror, Elliot/Ao 's stomach disappeared under the water, then his chest, and just kept going, eating the boy. Jack flat-out panicked when the youngest's head was submerged, and not caring how deep it was now reached under the water, groping for the kid. Fabric met his hand, and, not caring what the heck he had gripped, he yanked it back above the water, relieved when Ao, held by the back, came up coughing and spluttering, and very alive.

"Whoa," the small boy gasped, breaking into a small grin. "That stuff's weird."

The bespectacled one pulled him up and held him at eye level, looking very dangerous, "_You nearly drowned!"_ he snarled.

Aaron piped up "Killing him won't help." He felt like he should be more amused by this, but something was very wrong here. Just this morning Ao had looked utterly disgusted at even walking in this stuff. Why was he smiling now?

Holding a hand to his head, Elliot murmured "I feel really light-headed and woozy now..."

Jack lowered him a little. "_You nearly drowned!"_ he repeated.

Shaking his head Ao amended "No this was different. It was, like, feeding you some sort of adrenaline buzz, and even if you couldn't breathe you feel really good!" His face sobered up very quickly, "I think its poisonous."

"Ya _think!"_ Jack yelled, finally dropping the boy back into the shallow water.

Aaron put a hand against his chin in thought, "That makes things much more troublesome. I have high doubts we'd last very long in poisonous water if our heads are submerged underneath. The different turnings make things more difficult, especially if nothing turns back in on itself -- we'd be lost for weeks. And finally, if there _are_ many enemies around here, there's little chance we'll be able to tackle them, less so in deep water than even now."

His head finally clear of whatever toxic affect the water had on him Ao told them, "I can cross off one of those problems right here."

The two older boys looked at him carefully, but it was Aaron who spoke, "Which one?"

Pointing at his make-shift HawkEye, Ao explained, "Opening this thing was one intention I had, but navigating it was the main focus of this thing. Now I knew I'd put the feature in here, but I forgot how to activate it. Something under there must've snagged it, however, because I can see what paths we're supposed to take!"

"Either that or you're hallucinating." Jack grumbled.

Giving him a stern look Aaron pointed out "Even a hallucination is better than nothing at this point. Now how deep is this stuff really?" He turned to the trees nearby and pulled himself up, pulling loose a vine.

Jack, noticing this, lent a hand, holding the bottom of the vine and helping him pull it down. When they had a good amount, Jack chopped off the end and Aaron slid back down into the gunk that called itself water. Snatching up an end of the vine Aaron tied it around his waist, and jumped in. Jack took a firm hold of the vine and forced the main coil into Ao's hands, before watching the other boy sink into the water. First his waist, then stomach, then chest, then neck, and slowly, his head went under too. It didn't stop until the top of the blonde's hair was all that was visible. Satisfied, Jack hoisted the other boy back out, and measured the other boy against him.

"Looks like I'm the only one who can cross this safely." He murmured, and looked back at the trees, "So its time to work out some floating aids, so nobody dies."

**

* * *

**

A very fine beach first greeted the dreamers. It was very warm and soothing. Behind them was a rushed and fast-paced atmosphere that didn't really suit them, but this beach was nice enough. They stood at the first spot they met. But nothing stood out, aside from a beautiful sunset. Not content with this they headed on along the beach, trying to remember what else they had done along here. They were pretty sure they had gone along many tourist attractions, all of which were still open and sporting pleasant, peace-bringing atmospheres. Despite all the troubles that plagued their nightlife, they were not present around here. Perhaps, they thought, that this would not be quite as horrible a search as they had considered.

**

* * *

**

Crossing the border was only the first obstacle. Lloyd grimaced as he realised that even though the children were somewhere in here, 'somewhere' could be 'anywhere' and he had no way of knowing. Moreover if any of the kids had any idea he was in here, he had a feeling they weren't going to welcome him with open arms. Well, Jack might, but the other two, he really wasn't sure about anymore. So calling for them would probably do more harm than good. So all he could do, at this point, was wander around aimlessly and hope he ran into them.

He hadn't wandered far, and already mis-stepped into some deep bog. He yelped in suprise and struggled to stay upright, and was distantly pleased when he did. Then he looked about himself.

_So this is how Elliot felt earlier._ he mused, holding up his arms to watch the mudwater flow around his waist and stomach. _But then if this stuff's this deep on me... he'd drown in this!_

Panic welling up, Lloyd pushed his way out of the deep marsh, sticking to the left-most trees as his vague guide. Even as he stormed as solidly as he could through the muck, his common sense whirred away to quell his fears, _Now think about this for a second. Jack's with him, and Jack won't let him die._

_But what if he isn't??_ His fear countered, _What if they got separated somewhere in here and my son is dying??_

The more rational side of him pointed out _The first thing Jack would do is locate a lost person, that's just how he is. In that respect he's got his dad in him._

But to set him at further unease, the conversation between the two from early in the day kept running through his mind.

_"You were more fun as a kid."_

That one sentence plagued him. Even as he'd misheard originally and told him Elliot was the kid now, Jack had returned that he hadn't meant that.

So what did he mean? That Lloyd had made a better kid than Elliot did? That Lloyd was just no fun anymore and that didn't settle well with the bespectacled teen? He really didn't know. Neither way was pleasing. But he knew already that Jack and Elliot didn't get on. At home Jack would want to go out and do things, and Elliot would lock himself away, usually deliberately as Jack passed, and while away the time doing who-knew-what before he would go back to his mother's, and 'pops'. The grey-haired man couldn't help but wonder if maybe his son preferred it over there.

_Even if they hate each other_ Lloyd's reason spoke sternly, _Even if Elliot hates it with me, and with Jack, and even if Jack hates socialising with Elliot for that, this isn't somewhere their petty differences will tear them apart. They're both smart kids -- they're more responsible than that._

**

* * *

**

"This isn't funny, you know."

Jack didn't care to hear Ao, as he made his presence known again some distance behind, being pulled along the deep swamp by a floating log. The tall one had arranged it this way for a reason: So he could comfortably ignore Ao and claim not to hear him without outright lying.

Between them was Aaron, his arms wound over a separate log, looking up absentmindedly at the darkness above their heads.

Ao hadn't quite finished complaining, "You did this on purpose, didn't you? To annoy me, probably. Because you can't let anything go, even in such dire circumstances."

"So, Aaron!" Jack called in a sing-song voice, "How's the ride back there?"

Turning his attention away from the starless, cloudless sky, the blonde answered "Noisy. I've got Ao whining one side, and you being spiteful that side."

This was probably the wrong thing to say, because both began shouting on either side, first at him, and then as comments turned nasty, it turned to each other, their pitch rising to make themselves heard above noise that wasn't there.

Rolling his eyes at their petty antics, Aaron turned his attention to the landscape, which, even though there was no sun, or other light, and the make-shift Hawkeye was attached to Ao, was still very visible. At least enough so that he could make out most of the landscape without trying too hard.

And that eel was no exception.

Snapping from his inattentive reverie, Aaron focused on the slithery creature, easlily able to navigate the swamp where they had trouble. "Uh, guys?" He called lightly, but it was easily swallowed by their shouts. No doubt that was what had attracted the animal. He saw electricity dancing along its back as it zoomed in on the group, and decided that the dense liquid was a mixed blessing, swallowing the near-fatal electricity, but giving the attacker an easy path to bring it straight to them.

Making a choice, Aaron let go on the log and allowed himself to be submerged under the swamp.

"_Aaron!"_ Ao shrieked, and even Jack stopped and turned in alarm. They couldn't see his head, or air-bubbles, and looked around desperately. Only then did they notice they had company. "An eel! An electric eel!"

Eyes wide, Jack breathed, "T-they're not local, are they?"

Livid and panicking Ao yelled, "I don't think it matters right now!"

Suddenly a much larger form burst free from the bog, sending mud flying. It swung something at the eel, hitting it, then sunk back under the muck.

The two log-bound boys watched as the Zap Eel writhed on the spot, trying to figure out where the attack came from. They were a little sketchy on that detail, too, but refused to speak.

Just as fast as before, the big creature, covered in mud, came up, but this time the weapon wasn't in sight. But soon it made itself known, whipping out from under the Eel and sending it soaring away into the forest, before becoming submerged again.

Silence fell. The Zap Eel had apparently decided the battle wasn't worth it and left again, and the assailant wasn't emerging again. Slowly Ao turned to Jack and asked softly, "Was that big thing _Aaron_?"

Jack didn't respond immediately. He was watching something in the water, getting closer to them, albeit in a bee-line. When it got within arms' reach he leaned down and pulled out the muddy beast that had attacked the creature. To their relief, it was indeed Aaron, looking very dizzy indeed. Jack pulled his log closer and draped him over it.

"I don't intend," Aaron gurgled weakly, "To do that again anytime soon."

Returning to his walking Jack spoke much quieter than before, "You mind telling me something? Where in hell did you get a baseball bat?"

Pulling the wooden weapon from the water, Aaron held it up and shrugged his shoulders, "I strapped it to my leg before we came out."

"You mean back when you said you were tying your shoe?" Jack confirmed.

Looking very skeptical Ao mumbled, "I can't believe you fell for that."

Shooting a dark look over his shoulder Jack growled, "Gimme one good reason."

Returning a deadpan expression Ao responded "Well for one thing his boots have velcro straps."

Jack didn't say anything after that.

**

* * *

**

The next stop was a much hotter location, still all sandy and busy, but the environment was very different. That said it was also a much different environment than it had been on their perilous journey. The economy of the environment had risen significantly, and the people had been able to improve their living conditions and the place was nice and liveable. It bustled with a joy it hadn't had before, and buildings had risen with spas and cozy hotel resorts it never would have attracted before. The four dreamers felt so unhappy when they had to leave it to cross the expanse beyond, discussing amongst each other places they may have missed already, and the places that lay beyond.

**

* * *

**

Lloyd had wondered if maybe the creatures of this swamp were nocturnal, somehow knowing to sleep during the day and only coming out when the temperature dropped to a certain level. Only now was he sure he was right, seeing a small Zap Eel scuffle, and a few Hard Crocodiles lurking in the shadows, eyeing him up. He didn't even bat an eye, though, knowing he had enough experience through his hardships in life to at least be a match for these things.

With a curious eye he had made note of the helicopter in passing, not stopping to marvel at the sad sight of machinery lost to the dark power of nature. He figured that if it hadn't been used to assist the kids it probably wasn't worth investigating. He _had_, however, noticed the indentations made in the side, chipping the metallic paint and leaving what he could only assume was an arrow in the side. The back propellors were missing.

This made Lloyd grin, "Jack, you sly dog." he chuckled, and followed along the path, as fast as the water would let him. He knew that they didn't expect much threat, so they probably were taking their time, rather than trying to reach the end fast. That, accompanied by his fast-strides and long legs meant that he wouldn't take all that long to catch up considering.

At first, the crossroads that approached made his heart sink. _Well that's the end of that run._ He thought bitterly. But still he kept up his pace, only stopping when he was submerged again in the deep pool.

"Well this rots." He grumbled, meaning the words in every sense. He looked about, trying to find some indication that Jack had left a clue. He looked at the trees behind him, and noticed some had been severely cut, and vines were hanging loose with neat-cut ends. "So they came through this point. And the clever gits found a way through the deep water."

So his clue was going to be in the trees. Stepping back into the shallow waters, Lloyd looked out over at all the different paths, but had a hard time noticing anything: A giant tree was sticking out of the middle of the deep-water clearing, making the furthest tunnels harder to see. Glowering at the offending weed, Lloyd decided to swim out to it, hoping that from there he'd be able to see the hints better.

Reaching the tree wasn't all that difficult. The ground under the bog was a bit uneven, so some points he'd be higher, or lower, than he'd expected to be, but it was navigateable all the same. But now he had a chance to pull himself out of the gunk, glad to be able to move freely along the visible roots of the tree.

Navigating the tree, Lloyd mused to himself "Now if I left a clue, where would I stick it?" he wondered, looking out at the tunnels carefully. He only stopped when he felt something sticky and bumpy under his fingers. Looking back at the tree, he noticed a long streak of mud, like someone had decided to flick the swamp at the tree. His mind clicked straight into gear, calculating the angle of trajectory and distance judging from the splat. Using a finger to trace his calculations over the swamp, he worked out where the mark would have come from, and from that the direction they were heading. Beaming and jumping back into the water Llloyd again praised the prodige, "Jack, you never cease to amaze me!"

**

* * *

**

At the end of the sandy expanse, the group of dreamers looked at each other, as one sad memory floated between them. But even though it was a sad thing to remember, they could turn their heads and see the very thing they were sad about somewhere else, living happily, as though the horrid thing on the perilous journey hadn't happened.

So then, they wondered, why were they so sad about it? Before they ventured into the part of the search they knew would hold no peace, they decided to backtrack to someone else who reminded them of a very sad time, though they hadn't all met the cause of this sadness yet.

The worst part of the search could wait, if they could find the answer somewhere else beforehand.

**

* * *

**

The ride had been really quiet since the Zap Eel attack. Jack remained totally silent as he pulled them along, steering as clear as he could of any life living within the water. Aaron had recovered from the noxious waters, and had managed to maneuver himself to strap his bat back to his leg to save his arms. At the back, Ao had decided to start messing around with the tools and spare parts in his bag, refusing to talk to anyone about what he was doing. The main objective had been to avoid drawing attention to themselves, so they'd cut out most talking, only communicating when neccessary, like when they reached a fork in the path.

Jack looked behind him carefully, spotting the busy Ao and hissed "We have a turning coming up! Do we take it?"

The small boy looked up, his eyes looking almost haunted, and peered beyond the bulky leader, and shook his head, then returned to his work.

Jack didn't look back immediately, glimpsing the tools Ao was working with, and then something beyond him, and then turned back, walking slowly through the marsh.

Aaron, who hadn't missed this, frowned a little. He had figured that since Ao wasn't being talkative anymore that it would have been pointless to look behind himself. But when Jack had looked out like that, it made him wonder what they really were leaving behind in the mud. He glanced behind him uneasily, but spotted nothing. Still not trusting what he was seeing over the feeling of unease welling in him, he decided to dismiss it for now and returned his gaze upward, wondering again what made this place so dark.

Not really paying attention to his teammates or his surroundings, Ao began packing his tools away again, looking over his newly created invention. He stashed it in his large front-pocket, having no means to test it, yet. He did stop, however, when a tingling feeling shot up his back. Someone was watching them. He looked round, but nobody was there. Not feeling the slightest bit better, he took a tighter grip of his log.

Suddenly the marsh behind them all rose upward, falling away again to admit a tall form into the air! "Okay, the fun stops here!" its deep voice shouted, and took a hold of Ao's arms.

_"Its got me!"_ The boy shrieked, _"Get it off me, it got me!"_

The other two whirled in shock, but only Aaron looked suprised. Jack just relaxed again, "I wondered when you'd join the party!"

This made the small boy freeze up, then look at his attacker. A new shriek erupted from him as he yelled "Dad! What the hell!" And wrestled free from his grip, pushing himself and the log away.

The man scowled down at the teenagers and said loudly, "You three are in a lot of trouble! How dare you go sneaking off into unknown territory like that! You could have been killed!"

Aaron frowned, hanging loosely off his log, "Hey, now, we did something very few people could do. Credit where credit's due."

Holding up his hands Lloyd protested "Now don't get me wrong. I am impressed that you three could do what scientists have been trying to do for decades, I'm proud of that. I'm also pleased you're not as narrow-minded as most of them, and that you've been able to make it this far! But that doesn't mean you can go off into swamps were people have disappeared, and go get lost for no reason! Now its time to go back, so come on!"

Jack began walking forward. Aaron and Ao kept their distance.

"C'mon guys, the jig's up," Jack prompted when they refused to move, and began tugging at the vines holding the logs, "You know you won't get much further now, so we may as well turn back."

The two young male voices spoke in synch, "No."

Lloyd folded his arms. "Look, you've made your point. A group of kids can do miles more than an army of scientists. You're independant. You can take care of yourselves. And you're _smart_. I get it. Now lets go."

Aaron's log was floating backwards, away from the adult-figures, "That's not the point. Its not my point."

Ao chimed in, clearly paddling his log away, "Besides, what the heck's the point of turning back now? Isn't grandpa's wish to see what's beyond Deep Darkness? We're not out of it yet."

"And I am not risking my own son's life to heed that request!" Lloyd snapped, "I'm not prepared to lose my boy, my _flesh and blood_ for his selfish desires!"

Jack tapped the man's shoulder, "You may want to keep your voice down -- loud noises attract animals."

And indeed they did. The sound of gurgling came from some distance in front of them. Everyone turned to see what was making the disgusting noise, only to see two spears and two collections of fins sticking out from under the bog.

Jack froze up in alarm, "W-what are those things?!"

Lloyd frowned, pulling something from his labcoat, "Fish-men, I think. Men hold spears, but fish have fins."

This didn't help Jack much, who shakily pulled his propellor-blades in front of him.

Aaron and Ao looked a little lost, now somewhere in the midde of the gunk, unable to swim away without becoming fully submerged and vunerable in the water. They cast each other a quick glance and kicked their feet against the marsh, pedalling backwards to the relative safety of the trees.

One of the submerged fish slowed down as the boys started kicking, and then turned itself in their direction, skulking through the water toward them.

"Oh no you don't!" Lloyd snapped, taking aim with the mysterious object, and pulling the trigger.

The resulting plasma shot suprised everyone. The thing was the size of a soccer-ball, and moved fast, exploding on impact with the water, between the distance of the creature and Aaron's outstretched foot. At first the creature remained where it was, before deciding to try its luck again and go for them. Annoyed at the gall of the creature Lloyd fired again, this time landing it much closer to the creature.

The shot put everyone else back in motion. Aaron and Ao turned and pushed themselves forward, going much faster than before, before pulling themselves up into the trees out of sight. Lloyd and Jack, however, stood their ground, attacking the creatures as they came close. Lloyd had no trouble dispatching shots at the creatures, hitting what little he could see. Jack, on the other hand, had never really been in a fight before, and was panicking. He swung his blades at the creatures as they came near, and aimed to disarm them, attacking at their spears all the same.

Lloyd, seeing his friend in trouble, called out "Aim in the water, _hard_!! Imagine you're" he swallowed, not feeling good with what he was about to say, "hitting Elliot for being a jerk."

For all that it was an irresponsible thing to say, it did the trick. Jack's expression hardened and he swung relentlessly at the approaching Manly Fish, alarming the creatures into keeping their distance from the loony human. Lloyd could easily dispatch of them now, firing at them as they backed up, until they turned tail and swam away fast.

The red in his eyes dying down, Jack allowed his arms to go limp, and tried to calm down his heavy breathing. "Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Nodding, Lloyd began wading toward the trees where the other boys had disappeared, "Its not so bad when you get used to it. And besides, you're a strong kid, you'll pick up the tricks of the business in no time." Reaching the tree Lloyd called up, "Okay, you can come down now!"

There was no response.

His face falling, Lloyd called up again "Aaron! Elliot! The fish are gone! You can come down and we can be on our way!"

"And here's the point we realise they're not coming back." Jack murmured, a droll expression on his face.

Giving him a waning glance Lloyd asked "Can you not say that?" then to the trees he shouted "Oi, Elli-kins! Beddy-bye time!!" When that produced no cries of humiliation, Lloyd surmised "Yup, they've run off on their own."

Jack joined his former babysitter and picked up the log buoys. "Well then we better go find them!"

**

* * *

**

The weed-like trees were a lot more sturdy than they looked. Even high up in the bending branches, winding vines and the close neighbours tangling their branches in one another, even heavier creatures could easily navigate.

Aaron and Ao were finding this to their advantage as they pulled themselves through, vaguely following the river.

The two of them hadn't really planned to escape when they hit the trees. They were going to wait until the battle was over and try again to convince the adults they should go on, but as they climbed the three, Ao mentioned seeing their next route, and after checking the sturdy branches, they were off.

Not that Aaron was complaining, anyway. Even if everyone had been against him he would have rebelled and continued moving. He was just lucky smart little Ao was with him on this, that they should continue.

"So why are _you_ doing this?" Ao asked out of the blue.

A little suprised at the sudden question Aaron stopped moving. "What do you mean?"

Ao perched himself on a clump of branches and cocked his head to the side, "Well you've obviously come in here for some reason. I'm just curious what that reason is."

Settling himself down warily Aaron questioned "What makes you think I'm in here for something?"  
This made Ao scoff, "Oh come on. You strapped a baseball bat to your leg before coming in here, so you were expecting something!"

"That's just common sense." Aaron countered.

Raising an eyebrow the white-haired one continued "You're doing an extra-curricular learning activity in a _swamp. _Last I checked they didn't grade you on bog density."

The blonde reasoned "My mother sent me on this."

"With some requests." Ao quickly added. "Like my grandpa had. Tell me, what was her request exactly?"

Narrowing his eyes Aaron responded "No. I don't need to explain myself. At least I know why I'm out here today, which is more than I can say for you."

The suspicious air escaped Ao like a popped balloon. "Good point!" he smiled, and looked back out from the trees to the swamp-trail. "Hey, I think we're near the end already!"

Picking himself back up, Aaron said "Seriously? Already?"

Nodding eagerly Ao responded, "Its brighter over there than over here! I think we're almost beyond Deep Darkness! Lets go!"

Aaron nodded and followed.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Authors Notes: **Aaand from here, everything written will be all original and stuff! Because it should be! Heck, there might even be a few more battles thrown in! You won't know till I upload it! 


	4. Chapter 3: Relative safety

**P_ - H - A - _S - E -- D - I - S _- T - O - R - _T - E - D**

_By SaturnStorm_

**Authors Notes:** No, this isn't a re-submit. For those who've read up to now, all you need to know is that the chapters have been condensed a bit. That's all that's changed, really. Saying that, this whole chapter's new. ;) The story's slowly moving! Honest!! Hey, eventually it might reach an END!! That'll be a change from my normal routine! Heck, it might not even get re-written (again)!

That said, one thing bugs me about this story, now. It doesn't work. To the theories before, when Mother 3 first came out, to the recent revision of those (all in my head :p), where I took it, and what actually happens, even to how I planned to get round a certain issue, none of it works. Of course, all the more reason not to care if its canon or not. XD After all, there's no point worrying about mistakes if I've come this far and its that far deviated already! Tell you what, I'll finish writing the story, and THEN I'll revise it! If I'm bothered. Y'know what I'm like.

On to the storyyy!

* * *

It was later in the night, and the many creatures of the swamp were awake and alert, looking for their next meals, whether it be each other, or foolish trespassers. However some were learning that the trespassers may have been foolish for waltzing into their territory, but they were smart, too. Those creatures who bumped into the ones still wading around in the marsh discovered that their technology was more than enough to keep them at bay. Those who saw the smaller ones found they couldn't actually reach them, high in the trees as they were. Since the trespassers weren't an edible option, the creatures mostly settled on attacking each other, such as their way.

In the trees, the two boys watched as a crocodile and one of the fish men (who was now visible) ripped into one another, mercilessly forcing one or the other to become lunch. Both young teens cringed, and then forced themselves to move on, using the branches and vines as platforms to keep them above the wild land below.

"You sure it was this way?" Aaron asked, trying to stick more to the branches than the vines. He was heavier than Elliot, so he had to be much more careful.

The smaller boy was easily navigating the treetops, practically gliding across vine swings and bending branches alike. "Should be." he responded, stopping on a vine to look back at the muddied up blonde. "We're definitely heading away from the entrance, and the navigator's telling me this is the way to go."

Scowling, Aaron mumbled "It better be right." Then pushed off the branch he'd been perched on and continued on his way.

Elliot -- Ao -- however, paused as something seemed to be tugging at his leg. He took a hold of a branch and looked down at what he'd snagged on. He was confused to find one of the vines was wrapped around his leg.

Noticing the other boy wasn't behind him, Aaron turned to see what had held him up. However when he looked he choked on his next breath, and began moving back toward the boy, "Where the hell did that weed come from??"

_Weed?_ Ao wondered, before looking beyond the vines, to the brightly coloured flower below. More than that, it was a brightly coloured flower with an array of vines protruding from beneath the petals, one of which was what was wrapped around his leg. He gave a small shriek, seeing a pair of eyes open from within the bulb, staring at him intently. "Get it off!" He wailed, taking a hold of a much sturdier looking branch.

Aaron wasted no time thwacking at the vine the moment he got close. The thing twitched and writhed before letting go. "This next step'll be fun." he grumbled, bat at the ready, but out of range to hit it. He didn't really want to jump down into the waters, since they ran deep, and he already knew they'd submerge him entirely, which was almost painful.

Apparently Ao already had a plan, though, whipping out the small invention he'd made earlier, and pressing one of the buttons. The gadget began whirring, a high-pitched whine filling the air, already annoying the creature. But the moment it recovered and started for them again, Ao pressed another button.

Aaron had to jump away as a wild flurry of static bolts shot from the small device. The whole area lit up with blue light, as the bolts found homes in whatever they could find. The boys both found themselves feeling lucky the demonic weed had decided to try going at them from every direction, because the static bolts apparently found the vines were a good home. The electricity travelled down the numerous vines, shocking the creature.

"Let's go!" Ao yelled above the flower's screech of pain, and the two teens clambered across the treetops as fast as they could without risking falling to the swamp below. They could still hear the creature behind them, flailing and thrashing, trying to find the offenders, but soon they were well out of range and back on their way.

The elder boy watched as Elliot tucked the device back into his front pocket, looking a little uneasy about keeping it close anymore. "Was that what you made earlier?" Aaron asked.

Ao nodded, "yeah, I wasn't expecting it to do that, though." he admitted. "I need to work on making it more focused, so it doesn't risk catching everyone."

"You need to not work on a log being dragged through a swamp." Aaron added, smiling a little. "For making something in such circumstances, it's a pretty neat little weapon. Just don't use it too often."

The smaller boy could only agree with this.

The two travelled in silence for a short while, being a bit more wary of where they tread, in case of more demonic weeds, or other plant-like creatures trying to trick them. But soon they were finding vines were thinning out, and the tree-branches were less entangled. They were reaching the edge of the swamp. Aaron found himself struggling to keep within the branches, several times nearly falling to the swamp below because of miscalculations between his trajectory, and the branches he was landing on. Ao on the other hand was using whatever vines he could find to swing to whatever trees he next needed to get to, light-footing his way around each branch.

Aaron gripped the base of a tree as he checked his next step. "Shouldn't be too much further now." he said, looking out as shallow waters came to view.

Nodding, Elliot checked his device, "From here we should be able to get into the water again, providing there are no monsters about." That said, he clambered to one of the last trees and peered at the water below. "I can't see anything here. We should be able to climb down now."

Under his breath Aaron mumbled "Finally," and allowed himself to slide down the tree, landing in the marsh, before turning and helping Ao down as well. "Looks like the land dries out again from here. Should be plain sailing now."

The two boys looked back into the darkness, toward the monsters they left behind, and then looked forward, to the end of the darkness. There was a strong chance the worst was waiting for them, yet...

**

* * *

**

Lloyd looked up into the trees, feeling slightly irate. He could not believe his son had run off while he was saving the boy's life. It was such an ungrateful move! Surely the boy had been taught better than that? Aaron... he had no idea about how he was taught, but after this he was going to have a stern talk with his mother.

Turning back to the marsh trail, he noticed Jack looking rather irritated himself. Not that he was much surprised; Elliot had a habit of annoying Jack and running off on him if ever a chance was available. Not only that, but since the young man had devoted himself to keeping the boys safe, and then them just running off on him like that, it hardly seemed fair.

Seeing fins in the water, making a bee-line in their direction, Lloyd just pulled out his plasma gun and sent it back on its way with a well-placed shot. He wasn't even paying much attention anymore, keeping creatures at bay detachedly, as he navigated the possible direction his offspring and the other boy could have taken. After all, their goal had been the other side of Deep Darkness, so, logically, that would be where they were heading now.

"Any idea how long it'll take before we reach the other side of this place?" Jack asked curtly, gripping his makeshift weapons, swinging at anything that looked vaguely threatening. He barely cast a glance at the man.

Lloyd just shrugged, firing at a petunia that shifted twitchily through the marsh. It shrivelled up right there, no longer moving. "Probably a couple hours, give or take. Depends if things keep getting in our path or not. Or wrong turns." he added under his breath.

The black-haired male turned, frowning through his shades, "Elliot programmed his faux Hawk-eye to see the most direct path through this place. Can't your Hawk-eye do that?"

Stopping to look at his gadget, Lloyd responded "No, I didn't have navigation in mind when I decided to slap this thing together." He began playing with the device, using a screwdriver that had been concealed in his pocket. "Shouldn't be hard to work that out though. I won't be happy if it is."

Grinning, Jack asked "Is that because we'll be wandering blind, or because your own kid one-upped you?"

Lloyd didn't see a reason to dignify that with a response.

**

* * *

**

Four dreamers wandered their World, from bustling cities, to the most desolate of landscapes, to try and answer the dreams that plagued them, as each night they shared a terrifying dream, filled with darkness and dread, and the horrible feeling of being so terribly alone. Their World was filled with peace, now the one thing threatening it had left, but they were still having such dreams. Their journey at present had no answers, searching the continents upon which they lived.

Again they stood at the edge of the sandy expanse, looking in sadly. But this time a small fear welled in them as well. Had something gone awry? Was there something still in the World, in the darkest of locations that bubbled and waited? Or worse, was there something deep within the recesses of the Earth they weren't meant to see? In spite of the fear, they ventured forward, to find out...

**

* * *

**

Fears of danger, thoughts of dark and desolate caves, concerns of having come back out at the entrance, everything was driven from Aaron and Elliot's minds as they stood in a warm, well-lit cave, filled with little green creatures that had kindly offered them a place to stay. It had been Elliot who said (albeit uncertainly) that these creatures were no danger to them. These were tender creatures. These were Tendas.

"I think I remember mother talking about them once." Aaron agreed, awkwardly trying not to step on any as he moved, "She did say they were peace-loving creatures. She also mentioned they were shy, once."

One of the green critters shuffled up to them, "Many a year ago, we were indeed very shy," it explained, "but a kind-hearted soul gave us the tome of overcoming shyness! We have since been able to re-establish connections with our lost brethren of the Under-World! Such a strong boy he was..."

Elliot knelt down and petted the Tenda. It didn't seem to mind, reaching forward and petting Elliot's knee. "This boy, was he one of the last people who came through this way?"

"Oh certainly!" the Tenda replied, "In fact, he and his friends were the second group of his species – your species – to visit us. You two are the third."

Nodding, Aaron said "I'd expect group number four along in the next few hours." When Elliot looked at him Aaron added "no doubt your father and Jack will make their way over to us the moment they can. And I wouldn't expect them to not make it through, that weapon of his was strong. Of course, I'd love to see him try and pull out of this, now. We're on the other side; it's too late to turn back."

Smirking, Ao agreed "That's very true."

The Tenda smiled, "We're always glad to have guests around here! You humans are always so fascinating! Your ways of showing affection can be very pleasant, if sometimes a little strange." At this, Ao stopped petting the creature, looking sheepish. "When your friends arrive, you will all be welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you." Aaron said, "I must ask, though, is there much beyond this settling? You mentioned an Under-World."

Beaming, the Tenda responded "Yes! The Lost Under-World! Land of beasts! It's dangerous in the cages, but it's such a beautiful place. Some of our brethren commute down there still, and we've set up some safe travel, so we can reach the other settling. I'm sure we can help you down there as well.

This made Aaron smile, "That's good news." He stated.

Elliot looked over to him pleadingly, "We're not leaving already, are we?"

Checking the time, Aaron decided it would be wise to at least get some sleep before they set off again. "I suppose we can wait around a few hours. Hey, do you guys have coffee?" he directed the last comment to the Tenda.

The critter's eyes lit up, "We haven't got coffee, but we do have tea."

"That'll do." Aaron decided. "Hey, Ao, you might want to rest for now, conserve your strength."

The moment Aaron was out of earshot, walking along with the Tenda toward his next caffeinated beverage, Ao turned to another Tenda, "hey, by any chance do you guys have a place I can fix some machinery?"

Nodding, the Tenda responded "Why yes, we do! This way!"

**

* * *

**

A disgusting bubble in the bog rose from the depths, settling on the surface, a gruesome ooze pouring over it. A few more joined it, before a small rise of slime pulled itself up, over the rest of the otherwise flat marsh waters. Two disgusting eyes opened within the slimy pile, scouring the landscape, looking for its newest meal.

A powerful shot of plasma quickly dispersed it again, and it sunk once more beneath the depths.

Lloyd completely ignored his latest enemy, still pushing through the murky water, wondering how much longer this journey would take.

He'd already reprogrammed his makeshift Hawk-Eye to map out the paths, which hadn't taken that long. Using this was making the journey shorter than it otherwise would have been, what with all the different pathways through. This wasn't making it any less disgusting, though, nor was it stopping the monsters that were now eager to catch food before the sun rose. At least they weren't stopping at every dead end.

None of this stopped him from worrying, though. It was really getting late, now, and so far he and Jack had seen no sign of Aaron or Elliot. This either meant they'd reached the other side, or that they had met a horrible fate. Unconsciously he scraped his feet along the ground, both hoping he'd find the kids, but also hoping he _didn't_.

Unbeknownst to Lloyd, Jack was doing similar, dragging his blades along the ground to see if they would run into anything solid. Feeling the muddy, rocky ground as his blades ran along it, made him shudder. It was a horrible feeling.

It didn't take long before the silent adults reached an opening in the trees. Even the enemies were thinning out around here, and the marsh was getting shallower again. They both felt relief flood through them, realising they had reached the other side, and that from the looks of things so far, so had the other two. In the back of their minds fear still played that they'd simply been eaten by something, but they wanted to keep their hopes relatively high at least.

Rubbing the top of his arm on his forehead, Jack stated "Well, at least we made it. Lost kids or not, we've done something not a lot of people have."

Lloyd smirked. "Just a group of kids and some guy in a helicopter." He quipped. "But you're right. At least we're at the other side now. A wonderful scientific development and a step toward my father's last wishes." He scowled, "Now let's go show the kids not to run off like that."

"Right behind you!" Jack agreed whole-heartedly. Oh how he wanted to show the little brat Elliot a thing or two...

**

* * *

**

The boy who started this whole affair smiled down at friends he hadn't seen in a long time. Behind him the friends be brought with him were all chatting, discussing more theories and concerns that came with them as to why they were dreaming in such horrible ways. Soon the boy turned their discussions to whether or not they should bathe before they left for the further depths of this cave. This idea was well-received, the four of them relaxing in the warm waters.

The girl didn't speak about this, but she was having a very strange feeling as she lay in the waters, like there were more people there than there really were. Whether this meant there were people hiding in the darkness or not, she couldn't decide, but she determined not to tell her friends until she could figure it out. All she could really hope for was that whoever was lurking in the back of her mind was friendly.

**

* * *

**

"Welcome!"

Lloyd and Jack stood in the mouth of a cave, looking down at creatures that barely reached up to their shins, pleasantly greeting them and peacefully going back on their way. The two adults lowered the weapons they'd gotten out, seeing things that weren't human, but didn't lower their guard. There was always a chance the things were trying to lull them into a false sense of security, making them easier to take down.

Rubbing the back of his neck Lloyd asked "Um, by any chance did two kids come by this way?" he proceeded to describe their height and vaguely what they looked like.

One of the creatures nodded, "Yes, they're currently relaxing somewhere about the village. I'm sure you'll bump into them in no time."

"Right." Lloyd mumbled, and began making his way through, looking around, keeping his eyes open for anything familiar.

He didn't get far before a static '**Z-Zap!**' made him jump somewhere to his left. Recovering fast he headed down the tunnel toward what looked like a scrap-yard. He knew exactly who he'd find down this way, and was more than ready to give him an earful.

Elliot was only a little difficult to spot, leaning up against a trash-can lazily, tinkering with a device in his hands. Across from him was the lid of the trash can, tied to a bird's perch, which looked like it had been long vacated. He didn't even look shocked when his father came into view. If anything, he looked far too tired to care.

"Elliot," Lloyd boomed, "So you have any idea what trouble you are in right now??"

The boy looked up. "Its 'Ao', dad. You know that." He turned back to his work, setting down his tools and firing the weapon, which hit the trash can with another loud '**Zap!**' noise. At the very least, he'd managed to focus the static discharge, but it was nowhere near as powerful as it had been.

For a few moments Lloyd's scientific curiosity took over his fatherly instincts, as he watched his son tinker with the device he'd created. But it didn't last. "Elliot, you should _not_ have run off like that! That was _incredibly_ dangerous! You and Aaron could have been _killed_, and we wouldn't have been able to find you! You could have drowned! Been eaten!" he stopped as his son fired at the lid again, then continued, "You have no idea how worried Jack and I were about you! We feared the worst! What would I have told your mother? What would I have done if you'd died?"

Finally Elliot looked up at him again, still looking really tired, "Dad, in a place like that, anything could have happened to any of us. It could happen to anyone—"

"_You put yourself in that position!"_ Lloyd reminded him sternly, "You decided to go off on your own, more than once! Even after I told you to come back, even after I told you to stay put, you disobeyed me and did it anyway!! I wasn't telling you that for nothing! I wanted to keep you safe! I was trying to stop you getting _killed_!!"

"I'm not dead though, am I?" Elliot pointed out. "In fact, if I hadn't gone off you'd never have opened up Deep Darkness. You'd never be here. You wouldn't have done what grandpa wanted, and you wouldn't have done what you wanted. At least you're not stuck in that same stalemate anymore."

Eyes narrowed, Lloyd stated "You still could have died. Any one of those creatures could have--" He stopped as Elliot once again fired his weapon.

Elliot looked up again, "I made this in the swamp. To protect myself from any of the monsters that would have wanted to eat me. And it worked. Just like the Hawk-eye worked. And if I was in trouble, Aaron could protect me, too. The same way he protected Jack and me from the eel that wanted to kill us before you showed up."

Even though he wanted to keep yelling, Lloyd was speechless.

"Perhaps it's time you stop underestimating me. I can't grow up and become strong if you keep treating me like a baby. No, that's not accurate," Elliot mused, "I can't grow up and become strong if I give in and let myself be a baby." He stood up, looking woozy on his feet. "I think someone mentioned a hot-spring earlier. Maybe we should go use it."

Deflating, letting all his previous anger dissipate, Lloyd nodded, helping lead his son away from the scrap-yard. "All right." He murmured. "Then you go to sleep."

Jack, on the other hand, had headed off down one of the other pathways, finding himself in what appeared to be the main room. Aaron wasn't hard to spot, either, sitting at a low table, a hot beverage in front of him. Jack immediately stormed over, and noticed that the blonde's eyes were closed. "Hey, wake up Goldilocks!" he shouted, smacking him over the back of the head.

This didn't seem to have much effect physically, although Aaron did open his eyes. "Are you always so noisy in the morning?"

"Oh, is it morning?" Jack questioned mockingly, "I didn't notice, because I was up all night _searching for you!_ You ungrateful little brat!" he sat down heavily on one of the stools and stared at Aaron through his muddy glasses.

This didn't faze the boy, "What a shame. There was probably a wonderful sunrise on the other side of the darkness. Probably looked spectacular." He lifted his cup before Jack's hand slammed against the table.

"Do you think this is _funny_?" he demanded. "The doc and I nearly freaked, thinking you might have died or something! What if we weren't there when something attacked?"

Deep eyes staring at the tall young man, Aaron said simply "You _weren't_ there. And we took care of ourselves just fine. Besides that, who took care of the swamp eel, I wonder?" he returned the mocking look.

Part of Jack wanted to complain about being picky about who defeated what before, while another wanted to freak out at the realisation he hadn't been needed to stop another enemy.

Aaron sipped his tea, "I think it'll be best to drop this big-brother attitude of yours for now. Please be aware that all of us are, at the very least, able to hold our ground against the unknown, and since we're far from human civilisation, and beyond human contact, we should at least consider that we can't shirk any strength any one of us has. This is not the time to be protective."

"I hate to say it but I think he has a point." Lloyd said, walking up to the table, Elliot walking tiredly beside him.

Aaron looked round, and gave Elliot a firm look, "I told you to rest."

Elliot shrugged, "I had to fix my weapon."

All four males sat down at the table, and more tea was served. The older males had decided to hold off on punishments until they had come back out the other side, while the younger ones were willing to compromise, now that there was less talk about heading back through the swamp.

"Besides the possibility the enemies won't all be asleep yet, there's also no guarantee we'll be as lucky passing through again, saying nothing about heading through with the expedition." Lloyd had pointed out.

Aaron nodded, "I had hoped we could set out once you two got here," he motioned to the adults, "because a group of four is better than a group of two. However, since Ao decided not to sleep, we'll have to put it off till we've gotten some rest."

"What was that about not being protective?" Elliot yawned.

Shooting him a sharp look Aaron stated "There's a difference between babying you, and making sure you don't collapse from exhaustion."

The muscle-bound one rubbed his chin, "I think we could all do with a little rest. It's not like that swamp's a walk in the park. We should all get our strength up before we even think of going anywhere else." He paused, "Where else is there anyway?"

"The Tendas said something about a Lost Under-World, which is full of beasts." Aaron explained, "Apparently it'll be fine if we stay out of the cages. They also said something about a safe-route through, which we should probably follow. The less danger we expose ourselves to, the better."

The other three nodded.

As another Tenda passed by, Elliot tapped its shoulder, "Hey, is there anything beyond the Lost Under-World?" he resisted the urge to add 'which is full of beasts'.

The creature looked awkward for a moment, and then sat himself with the humans. "There is," he agreed, choosing his words carefully, "but we Tenda don't go there very much. The caves of fire are too hot for our delicate skin, and..." he looked around, as though someone was spying on them, "The lost caves are sacred to our World. We don't dare go near it."

All four humans leaned in, "What makes it so sacred?" Lloyd asked. Was this what his father had sent him for?..."

"I..." the Tenda paused, and then finished "I don't know."

All four humans deflated.

Straightening himself, Aaron said "Would any Tenda object to us going there? Into the lost caves?"

Lloyd, Jack and Elliot all looked at him, unsure of why he'd requested that, but he ignored it, instead waiting on the Tenda's answer. Lloyd had to admit, he needed to know this for his own ends, anyway.

For a moment the creature looked unsure of how to say what he wanted to say. Finally he spoke, "No, no Tenda will stop you. We will advise you against it, but we won't stop you." Four pairs of eyes were still on him, intently, well aware that there was more that wasn't being said. "It's the land itself that may prevent you from getting through."

"How so?" Elliot questioned.

It was clear the Tenda was feeling too jittery to continue this conversation, babbling "I don't know, I haven't been there myself! But there's something in there the World wants to protect, and I think it would be a good idea to let the World keep it!" then he evacuated the chair and shuffled away quickly. The four humans were left wondering just what the World was protecting, and just _how_ the World was protecting it.

**

* * *

**

The dreamers stood amidst their friends once more, having bathed, and ready to head once again toward the last areas they felt they must check for the source of their dreams. The lost lands were their next goal, and their uneasiness was catching back up with them. The unknown wasn't something they liked dealing with, even though they'd had to in the past.

As they headed toward the gates to the lost worlds, one of the boys stopped the girl, and both of them shared a look. While she knew the source of her uneasiness, the feeling of being watched, the boy did not, nor did he have a way to know. He explained how he felt, and the girl assured him it was all okay, even though she knew it wasn't. And he knew it too. The boy, the shorter one, knew only that he felt a very horrible feeling, as though he had solved a puzzle, but the picture was not a pleasant one. At this, the girl told him all they could do was try to prove that puzzle wrong.

The eldest boy did not hear this discussion. He knew not what the girl was thinking, nor what the other boys worried about. But he had a way of seeing beyond the normal, which he had tried not to use, till now. He wished he hadn't, and he knew now what they were heading for. But he couldn't stop it. It would be unfair to now. All he could hope for was that there was some sort of light at the end of this terrifying journey, and not just the eternity of the dreams that they feared when they slept at night...

**To Be Continued...**

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**Author's Notes:** And there you have it, another instalment in a fiction! WOW! Doesn't happen often enough. :p

Oh! Hey! This is completely unrelated but if you get time, check out I'm in charge of the comics, now! SaturnStorm/LalalaKirby brand humour in a 4-panel sprite-comic (gotta honour tradition). Watch me ruin the Nintendoverse!


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